Question
How hard is too hard?  I water my 66+ plants with tap water from a well.  There is no chlorine or fluoride and I do not have a water softener, but I know the water contains a lot of minerals.  Do excess minerals get washed out of the soil?  Which plants fare better with distilled water?  Would it pay to obtain a pH tester for the water?  I could collect rain water, but probably not enough and I would go broke buying distilled water all the time.  Besides, plants DO need SOME minerals, right?  If the water is too hard I have to correct that with chemicals, correct?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Answer
Hi Lisa,
  Adding more chemicals to plant water is never a good answer. Actually the chemicals that are usually most harmful to plants are chemicals that people add to water, such as chlorine, fluoride and excess salts.

With proper watering, minerals and some excess salts do get washed out of the soil. However plants do not naturally get the minerals they need from water, they get them from the soil. With potted plants, minerals and nutrients get used up and washed away so they have to be artificially replaced with fertilizer.

I would skip a pH tester for the water. Unless the water is way too acidic or too alkaline, which you would be able to taste, it doesn't make all that much difference. What is somewhat important is the pH of the soil. Most commercial potting soils are made to be pH 7, which is neutral pH. Regular water doesn't really change the pH level of the soil very much.

Don't entirely rule out using distilled water. I have 100 + plants and I use about 2-3 gallons of distilled water a month, which cost me $2-$3 a month. I use the distilled water on plants that are more sensitive and/or delicate. Plants such as Dracaenas, Marantas, Spider Plants, China Dolls, and propagations all get distilled water.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
     Thanks
       Tracy